What's Happening

Textbook Rental Program Coming to the Campus Bookstore

Beginning in December 2010, the Point Park University Bookstore will give students a new lease on their sometimes budget-focused, hectic lives by offering a pilot textbook rental program designed to deliver maximum savings and convenience.

This program will allow students to rent select textbooks for less than 50% of the cost of purchasing a new printed textbook. Plus, as an added convenience, students will be able to rent their books either in the store or from the store’s website www.pointpark.bncollege.com.

This decision to offer a pilot textbook rental program was a joint decision made by the University and Barnes & Noble College Booksellers.

“We are committed to providing students with the widest range of content options and price points available,” said Paul Maloney Vice President at Barnes & Noble College Booksellers. “Whether students are interested in new books, used, digital, unbundled, or now rentals, they know they can find what they want at the Point Park bookstore.”

Currently, there are nearly 400 class sections at Point Park with rentable textbooks.

Other program features include:

• Students can pay the rental fees using any form of tender currently accepted by the bookstore (excluding PayPal) – including student financial aid.(Note: For security purposes, a valid credit card must also be provided regardless of the tender used for the rental fee.)

• Students can highlight or mark the rented books just as they would if they purchased a book and planned to sell it back to the bookstore.

• Students can convert their rental to a purchase during the first two weeks of class.

• The rental period is for the duration of the semester. Books are due back by the last day of finals. Students can return books in person or mail them to the bookstore.

• Courtesy emails will go out as the end of the term/semester approaches reminding students to return their books. Books not returned (or returned in unusable condition) will be subject to replacement and processing fees.